Implantable medical device (IMD), such as implantable pacemakers, cardioverter/defibrillators, neurostimulators, implantable drug pumps, or the like, may be programmed and interrogated remotely via a telecommunication link. In particular, a remote programmer initiates a remote programming session to set parameters within the IMD and thereby modify therapy or monitoring for a patient. The programming session may involve a local programmer/monitor, located proximate to the patient, that acts as an intermediary between the remote programmer and the IMD.
Remote programming allows a programmer to program an IMD from a significant distance. A doctor may monitor the programming from any location that is able to access the same network to which the IMD is connected, e.g., the Internet. In this manner, remote programming should make patient visits to the clinic less frequent. Remote programming of implantable medical devices is likely to become more prevalent as technology to enable safe remote implementation emerges.